West Bridge Journals

Mornings

Donnell, reminded us on FB that time springs forward tomorrow night, and that we will lose a hour sleep. Ok, but do we oversleep anyway? How does our day start? Do we jump out of bed and rush to get dress before grabbing a bite, and drinking a cup of coffee on the way to work? Mom, do you hurry the kids through the same with much frustration and aggravation on school days? Then comes Saturdays with that wonderful time to sleep in! But alas, we are still tired later and desire to sleep more and longer. Surely there is more to life than this everyday thing of work, children and sleep, with just enough time for worship on Sunday.

Well guess what? I do not have the answers for that. Well I really do but, who am I to counsel you. What I will do though is tell you how I approach the morning thing. This is something that BJ and I have done together for more years than I can now remember. For me it has been since I first raised my right hand and swore to obey all my superiors in the army. We are early risers. 4 AM for me and about 4:30 for BJ each day with some variation on the weekend. First let me say that it is not an ego or prideful thing with us. We just do it. I get up each day at that time and make coffee and return to bed and watch a little news or read till the coffee is ready then fetch us both a cup at which time I wake her. This begins our time. Sometimes it is quiet time, or we talk of many things. This is where I really learn what school teachers have to endure these days. How BJ’s day went at work is very important to me, so I listen. After about 45 minutes or so we start to move about getting dressed. After which I may read or write a little while BJ post a daily Scripture on FaceBook. I then fix our lunch for the day and may even fry us a couple of eggs for breakfast. I do this because it takes longer for BJ to install makeup than it does for me to comb my few hairs. Finally we say our goodbyes and leave for work, usually getting there 30 to 45 minutes early.

So, what is so great about this? Quality time with my lovely wife is the first thing I think about. My own quiet time with God is plugged in there. The first cup of coffee is enjoyed instead of gulped down. We get to see the sunrise each day unless it is raining. What a joy that is. God has blessed us with two great daily events, sunrise and sunset. I don’t like to miss either. Another is we never go to work tired. That may be hard to believe, but it’s so, and when I get to work I am ready to start. I don’t need more coffee to get me going. No matter how the day went, good or bad, we have had “Our time.” I don’t have to try to fit it in somewhere during the evening rush that sometimes awaits us. I know that my life is my own and not robotic. Life is good. Try it, you will like it. And when you get my age, “Every day is a holiday and every meal a picnic.”